1. Field
This application relates to protective shields and visors for the face and eyes.
2. Prior Art
Many occupations require workers to wear shields or visors to protect the face and eyes from threats such as falling objects, flying debris, sparks, splashing fluids bright lights etc. Additionally, according to many experts, gazing directly at the sun or regularly looking skyward may cause solar retinopathy and damage to the retina. This repeated exposure may manifest as decreased visual acuity or small blind spots in the visual field. Also, ultraviolet rays from sunlight may accelerate the development of cataract and macular degeneration. The use of ultraviolet protection is recommended to help minimize risk of vision loss. There have been several previous attempts in the prior art to provide for an appropriate pivotal or retractable face shield for protection against accidental and incidental injuries—for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,100 (1984) to Bates, which is shield that is retracted up inside the concave cavity of a hardhat. Bates' shield relies on a specific configuration of the hardhat's inner headband and cannot be used universally with other types of caps or helmets. Furthermore because of the shields proximity to the face, it would be impossible to use Bates' visor in conjunction with supplemental eyewear such as reading glassed, sunglasses, safety glasses or additional protective eyewear.
There have been many attempts to provide for an adequate visor/shield assembly. Some have flipped up, some are retracted but, all previous attempts require the user to manually position the visor into place with the use of the hands. This is a drawback, since most of the time when employing an apparatus of this type, the worker's both hands are usually occupied with the task at hand. This task could be holding a heavy tool, holding two pieces of material together, mixing chemicals, holding a writing instrument with one hand while holding a writing pad with the other hand. In order for the user to position the visor between up and down position, he or she must abandon one of the tasks being performed by one or both of their hands. Some welding helmets are designed so that a quick downward nod of the head will position the helmet into place, but in order to position the helmet out of the field of view, the user is required to manually lift the protective shield.
Thus it can be seen that the prior art has failed in many crucial respects to provide a visor that permits the user to position the visor between up and down position without the use of hand manipulation. Furthermore, most previous visors/shields are dependent on being specifically mounted to a hardhat or cap respectively. Previous art also required some modification to the cap or helmet in order to be properly mounted.
Additionally some occupations require the worker to regularly gaze skyward, which not only makes their face and eyes vulnerable to falling debris but also exposes their eyes and facial skin to dangerous UV radiation and falling debris. Some occupational examples are: Roofers, Iron workers, Builders, Tree cutters, Sign Installers, Building Inspectors, Ceiling Removers, Painters, Drywall Installers, Electric Utility Technicians Etc.
Furthermore there are other occupations that require a worker's eyes to be shielded while performing tasks that are only present below eye level. These occupations include, but are not limited to, welders, steel grinders and chemists. Dangers such as sparks from a grinder, blinding light from welding, or burns from chemical splashes are some of the hazards that these workers may encounter.
Traditional protective shields, sun glasses, safety glasses, and goggles do offer some protection from these hazards. However, when the worker is not looking skyward, or is not performing a task that will expose the workers face and eyes to such hazards, the visor needs to positioned out of the field of view in order for the worker to perform detailed tasks at eye level. These detailed tasks may include, but are not limited to, filling out forms, reading electronic meters, locating tools, reading instructions or blueprints, taking measurements and so on. While performing these detailed tasks the worker may not need or want the protection of the eyewear.
While wearing tinted shields or sunglasses, it is more difficult to accomplish these detailed tasks that do not require the use of eye protection, because vision is noticeably diminished by the tinted surface of the shield or eyewear. Furthermore clear vision may be even more obscured by shield surfaces that have become dusty, scratched, or covered with liquid droplets as a result of performing the task that required the protection of eyewear itself.
While wearing traditional shields or eye protection the worker may need to reposition the vision obscuring eye protection or shield in order to see clearly. It is impractical for a worker to manually reposition the obscuring shield in and out of their field of view every time the worker needs to transition from using the protective shield to performing detailed tasks at eye level that do not warrant the use of eye or face protection. Also, the worker, in some cases, may be using both hands to accomplish the task at hand and may not have the ability to reposition the protective eyewear in and out of their field of view
This device protects a worker from the dangerous UV rays of the sun and falling debris when the worker is required to look skyward. It also protects a worker from hazards that may come from below such as flying sparks or bright light from welding or cutting metal. At the same time it allows the worker to see unencumbered in low light or when the worker needs to perform detailed tasks at eye level and provides for a hands free method of operation to reposition the protective eyewear in and out of their field of view. Using this device, the transition from shielded protection to unencumbered vision does not require the worker to manually reposition the shield by using their hands. The transition is performed merely by tilting the their head, the positioning of the shield is performed by gravity and the principles of “counterbalance”.